Press Release
For Thin-Client Mobility, Uniklinikum Freiburg relies on IGEL
Thin clients are regarded as lean and secure, but are thought to be most suitable for stationary
use. IT systems in the Uniklinikum Freiburg's care division show just how mobile they can be.
Bremen, November 04, 2014 – With the help of IGEL thin client solutions, the IT
department within Uniklinikum Freiburg's care division has managed to keep the
personnel outlay for management, maintenance and support constant for the past
ten years. Although the number of IT workstations per care ward has increased from
one to between six and eight over this period, two full-time positions are still enough
to manage the 525 IGEL thin clients. Without the strategic decision to eliminate PCs,
the personnel outlay would be twice as high.
The operating lives of IGEL thin clients are record-breaking too. After up to seven years'
continuous operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, only around 100 devices each
year are scheduled for replacement. IGEL also gets high marks for its IGEL Universal
Desktop Converter 2 (UDC2) client standardization software, which the IT personnel use to
create notebook thin clients in a cost-effective manner.
Stationary and mobile thin clients
For stationary usage scenarios, the care department currently uses the IGEL UD3 LX allround thin client. The Universal Desktop models can be used in a variety of situations, from
exclusive SAP workstations for requirements-management in central sterilization to Windows
7-look shared desktops providing a number of applications as part of the "Care Desktop" and
transferring data from mobile barcode readers. Certain users also work with two monitors
(dualview).
On the outside, one in five end devices equipped with the Linux-based Universal Desktop
firmware from IGEL does not look like a typical thin client at all. In fact, these are software
thin clients – conventional notebook hardware running IGEL Linux as the operating system.
The hardware requirements are minimal and correspond to those of consumer models – an
SSD with 4 GB and 1 GB of RAM are sufficient to create an IGEL notebook thin client with
the help of the UDC2 software. Thanks to essential functions for mobile use, users benefit
from a battery indicator, advanced graphics driver modes and the IGEL Wireless Café WiFi
feature. Individual applications in a Microsoft App-V package are also used on these devices.
This way, robust and portable end devices for care documentation that are appealing to
users can be created for just €450, including the monitor.
Notebook thin clients created quickly via the network
The migration process, too, is simple. The network-based thin client operating system
reaches the notebook hardware via a TFTP server after the hardware is booted directly using
PXE boot via a specially set-up local network. The UDC2 installation runs automatically until
the software thin client is ready for configuration. As with IGEL's hardware thin clients, the
prepared settings profile is then assigned via the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS)
remote management solution which comes supplied. The entire procedure takes about 10
minutes.
Standardized remote management
Via the IGEL UMS, all hardware and software thin clients can be administered and managed
remotely. The most important functions for the Uniklinikum Freiburg include central firmware
updates and profile-based remote management which allows dualview, keyboards with
electronic health card readers or specific web applications (kiosk mode) to be set up quickly.
"Having used IGEL products for over fifteen years, we can't imagine going back to
client/server computing with PCs," said Ursula Krechel-Fennell, IT Coordinator for the Care
Service and Dr. Michael Kraus, Head of the Clinic Computer Center at the Uniklinikum
Freiburg. "Our care staff appreciate IGEL thin clients because of their reliability, our IT
employees because of the excellent management support offered by the IGEL UMS. At the
end of the day, we serve a large number of users with minimal outlay on the part of our IT
personnel."
About IGEL Technology
A world leader in thin and zero client solutions, IGEL Technology helps organizations improve the agility,
efficiency, and security of their virtual desktop and application delivery systems. IGEL produces one of the
industry's widest range of hardware thin and zero clients, based on Linux and Microsoft Windows, and leads the
market in software based thin clients allowing customers to access a broad spectrum of server-based
infrastructures and applications. IGEL also offers powerful and intuitive management software for easy
deployment and administration of thin clients throughout any size organization. Partnerships with industry leaders
like Citrix, VMware, Red Hat, and Microsoft ensure that IGEL provides the most up-to-date technology and
trustworthy security to clients in industries that include Healthcare, Education & Research, Public Sector,
Financial, Insurance, Retail, Logistics, and Manufacturing. IGEL has offices in the United Kingdom, Australia,
France, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Germany, Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore and is represented by partners in over 50 countries worldwide. To learn more,
visit www.igel.co.uk or follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/IGEL_Technology
Editorial Contacts:
IGEL Technology GmbH
Dr. Frank Lampe
Hanna-Kunath-Str. 31
28199 Bremen
Tel. : 0421 / 52094 1300
E-Mail: lampe@igel.com
Web: www.igel.com
Süddeutscher Verlag onpact GmbH
Marian Weber
Hultschiner Straße 8
81677 München
Tel.: 089 / 2183 7281
E-Mail: marian.weber@sv-onpact.de
Web: www.sv-onpact.de